Here in the Cold
by Space Kase
Summary: The aftermath of Tiger's Battle with Destiny. Six heroes worry about the seventh, and his apathy...or at least, what it appears to be hiding. Possible TigerHare.
1. Chapter 1

A chapter of something that could have been more, and might still be more, if I can find the right way to continue this. Anyway...This takes place just after the episode Tiger's Fight With Destiny. No spoilers as of yet, but there most likely will be, if this _does_ get continued.

* * *

The trek through the mountains was not the most difficult part of this journey. Whatever words the mismatched seven had were devoured by the needy wind. It didn't matter; even Genki, Hare and Suezo were silent. Not even a stray Caballos had anything to say, since they had all run off-nobody bothered asking where to. Tiger and Hare led, the best off because of their thick fur. Genki and Holly donned their cloaks, and took advantage of Golem's protective bulk with Mocchi and Suezo, not for the first or last time.

That no words had been spoken up in the snowcaps was not unusual. That the quiet followed them down to the caves was. For once, Genki was not boosting morale with a silly song or a pep talk, Hare wasn't speaking of conspiracy theories, and Suezo wasn't complaining about either of them, or any of the others, or even the weather. Golem usually never said anything, anyway, but this time he seemed to be purposely holding back, instead of simply not having anything to say. In his held silence, he sat closest to the fire, gathering warmth for those who wished to use him as their personal pillow. Mocchi and Holly were such individuals; Mocchi stared at the fire, also silent, save for an occasional sigh.

And Holly kept turning worried eyes between the fire and Tiger. He hadn't said a word, either. He looked calm; his eyes were closed, and he lay his head on top of his crossed paws.

But she knew him better than that. They all did.

Holly was the first to break the reverie. "Um, Tiger…" She gently prodded with the word, asked rather than said. He hadn't snapped at her once since he joined their group, but the circumstance had never arisen for him to do so.

"Hmm?" He didn't even look up. If it weren't his voice that had spoken, one might have thought he was asleep.

"How are you holding up?" The question was obvious, possibly even foolish, but it was spoken in a tone of voice that was soft, gentle, and only suited for Holly. This might have explained why Tiger didn't say so.

It didn't make his only response of a grunt any less unnerving.

The others looked at Holly, and then at Tiger. He hadn't moved; his expression hadn't even changed. The twitch in his tail, however, grew harsher.

Genki frowned, and leaned toward Tiger, using his arms and clenched fists for support. "Tiger, she asked you a question!"

"Genki…" Holy murmured the name, but with a scolding undertone.

"No, Holly, he's right!" Suezo squawked. Staggering to his tail tip, he aimed an intense hazel glare in Tiger's direction. "We're all thinkin' it, you overgrown pup, so why don't you quit with the mopin' and say something!?"

Tiger didn't say anything; instead, he opened his eyes and mouth, and bared his teeth at Suezo, whose apt response was a startled peep and a leap behind Golem. Which was all the others needed to respond.

"Tiger!" cried the humans' voices in unison. Mocchi leapt off of Golem with a distressed "Chi!", and Golem rose to his feet, still silent, but no less intimidating.

Tiger closed his mouth, and glared at each of his friends in turn. This continued until he'd looked all of them over at least twice; finally, he rose on all four legs and muttered, "The fire's dying. I'll find more wood."

Four pairs of feet and a tail would have gone after the canine, but one pair was faster than the others; before any of them realized it, Hare had left the cave.


	2. Chapter 2

Oh hey, I had this fic from 2009 that was supposed to be multi-chaptered, didn't I? How 'bout that? I'm so sorry about the delay, and for such a short chapter. I...really don't have an excuse?

* * *

Tiger ran. Really, it was all he _could_ do. He'd tried relaxing in the cave in the company of his team-his _friends_-but that hadn't worked. It wasn't as though he'd meant to lash out at Suezo, or at Holly, or at Genki. None of them. It was just their voices...They hadn't made it easy to sleep, or relax, or _forget_.

He'd apologize, of course. After he came back with the firewood. For now, though, it was far easier to focus on that, on not freezing to death and not getting lost in the vengeful winds or wall of white, than on what had just happened.

By the Ancients, it was just easier to_ forget_.

It was entirely too short a time before he came to a modest cropping of trees. They were scrawny, spindly, and, knowing their luck, would probably not burn well. Still, who knew where else there was vegetation in these mountains.

With a slash of his claws, the scrawny, spindly tree was now a pile of twigs. A memory flashed across his eyes. The blinding white, the dead brown-grey, the smell of the piercing winds...Tigers. This was just like the last time he'd seen Grey Wolf as his brother, back when they were two of many, when they'd all felt reckless, rebellious, and invincible. Back when the worst they had to worry about was being caught by a human. Back when humans had been the enemy of all monsters, and nothing could bring them down.

Back before Muu had shattered their world, given Tiger his scar, and taken his brother away from him.

He didn't remember why the pack was up in the mountains, though he did remember that Grey Wolf had been against it. Those were the last words he'd heard from him for a long time...

Then there was Muu, flanked by only a few guards, though later on it had felt like thousands. They fought, of course, because that was how they always got by before.

They fought their hardest, and it wasn't enough. When Tiger woke up later, he had a fresh scar across his face and only half of his pack. Grey Wolf wasn't among them.

Tiger growled, suddenly angry. With new vigor, he gathered as much of the lumber as he could in his mouth. He cursed his lack of opposable thumbs, his lack of strength, and everything else at that moment. He'd have to come back later for the rest, he decided.

And then he ran, feeling stronger, faster, than before. He wanted to curse that, too-he'd be alone for only a short time, then-but didn't. If he ran fast enough, he hoped, perhaps he'd leave the past behind.

He might have succeeded, had he not run into an obstacle, and allowed said past to catch up to him; if he wasn't careful, he'd be flooded with what he wanted to forget.

He'd almost succeeded when he ran into the monster he wanted to see the least. Already, he could feel that snarl involuntarily lifting his lips.

"What took you so long?" asked Hare with his usual smirk. Tiger growled, and inwardly cursed his so-called friend, too.


End file.
